Old Age Allowance Research Articles

Policy-makers and Population Ageing in Bangladesh: A Dearth of Attention

AbstractPolicy responses to population ageing have seldom been studied in Bangladesh. This article contributes to this research stream by asking to what extent policy-makers in Bangladesh are aware of the rapidly growing older population and care needs in the country and how this awareness is reflected in their policy initiatives. The concept of inattention is introduced to investigate phenomena from a public policy perspective. Data were collected via open-ended interviews with key policy-makers in Bangladesh’s government and other local stakeholders. Their responses were transcribed and coded for thematic content analysis. The findings show that policy-makers in Bangladesh have paid very little attention to the rapidly growing older population and their care needs. Without considering social, economic and demographic circumstances, the government has left full responsibility for old-age care to family members. No specific health or social care facilities have been built for older adults. Instead, limited coverage pension schemes for government employees and the Old Age Allowance (OAA) for financially vulnerable older adults remain the only measures taken thus far. However, these means-tested OAAs are very limited in terms of both their level and coverage. The lack of policy attention to older adults’ needs has led to a situation in which many older persons, especially in rural areas, are left without any support or care from their family, the government or third-sector organisations. More research is needed to guide the government and other organisations in developing adequate policies to support older adults in Bangladesh.

Post-traumatic growth in later-life cognitive function? Evidence from the 1976 Great Tangshan Earthquake.

This study aimed to explore the long-term impacts of exposure to earthquake in adolescence on later-life cognitive function in China. Data were from the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Our analytical sample comprised 4394 participants aged 49 to 78 from two birth cohorts born between 1937 and 1966: exposed cohort during adolescence (born between 1952 and 1966), and non-exposed cohort during adolescence (born between 1937 and 1951). We defined earthquake exposure as the exposure severity of the 1976 Great Tangshan Earthquake (GTE). We selected community environmental characteristics as our key moderators. A difference-in-differences (DID) method was employed to estimate the long-term impact of the GTE on later-life cognitive function. We found that exposure to the earthquake during adolescence resulted in higher scores of later-life cognitive function (for males: β = 2.18; 95% CI: 0.70-3.66; for females: β = 1.22; 95% CI: 0.11-2.33). For males, this impact was moderated by community environmental characteristics including the old-age allowance program (β = 3.07; 95% CI: 1.94-4.19) and the condition of basic community infrastructures (β = 1.52; 95% CI: 0.84-2.19). Our study supports the post-traumatic growth theory. This finding suggest that individuals with early-life traumatic exposure need to be focused on. Additionally, improving the conditions of community infrastructures and establishing a community environment with comfort and security may be pretty important for promoting cognitive function and post-traumatic growth.

Unmet health-care needs among older adults living alone in Thailand

The present study examined unmet health-care needs (UHN) among older adults living alone in Thailand. This study had two specific objectives: (i) to analyze the effect of living alone on UHN using a matched sample obtained from a propensity score matching method and (ii) to analyze the sociodemographic determinants of UHN using the entire sample of data. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were employed, along with Thailand’s 2019 Health and Welfare Survey dataset. The findings indicated that older people living alone experienced 1.613 (confidence interval [CI]: 1.066 – 2.440) times more UHN than those living with others (Objective 1). Moreover, older people with low incomes and chronic diseases experienced 1.391 (CI: 1.015 – 1.923) and 5.629 (CI: 4.375 – 7.243) times more UHN than their counterparts (Objective 2). Non-medical costs and a lack of social support facilitating access to health care (e.g., a lack of caretakers to bring older people to health-care providers and a lack of affordable transportation options) may have been the primary causes of the high UHN rate for these groups, as indicated in previous studies. Thus, the government should continue its efforts to alleviate these issues. Specifically, the existing community health volunteer program should prioritize older people living alone who need caretakers during illness. Local health authorities should support the program by offering health emergency vehicles, especially to those living outside major cities with limited transportation options to access health-care providers. The government should also increase the old-age allowance to enhance the financial independence of older people and extend the current telemedicine services to district hospitals and community health centers. Such measures have significantly improved health-care access for low-income older people who do not have extra resources to travel to health-care providers and chronically ill older people who need regular health care in Thailand.

An Analysis of the Impact of Old Age Allowance Program: A Study on the Rural Aged People in Chapai Nawabganj District in Bangladesh

The study aims to examine the impact of the old age allowance (OAA) program among the rural-aged people who are its beneficiaries. In Bangladesh, aged people are more vulnerable in rural areas than in cities. Lack of proper financial support makes some aged people feel insecure in their daily lives. Bangladesh’s government launched the old age allowance program in the 1997-1998 fiscal year under the social safety net program. This study uses a quantitative approach, and a questionnaire survey is conducted for data collection. This study tries to determine the present situation of aged people after receiving the OAA. This allowance contributed a lot to the economic as well as social status. OAA contributes to the food intake pattern and improves the aged people’s position in the family. After getting the allowance, the majority of the respondents are not considered a burden in their families; their position also changed among family members. After getting allowance majority aged people indicate their satisfaction. By getting OAA majority aged people can easily buy their medicine and clothes as well as do treatment rather depending on others. However, with this OAA program, some problems are faced by the aged persons, including the withdrawal of allowance and some of the beneficiaries are not satisfied with the amount of OAA. So, this study will help the policymakers and policy implementers concerned with social safety net programs, especially those related to old age allowance programs, to make more effective activities for the rural aged in Bangladesh.

Population Aging, Pension Systems, and Economic Growth: Applying an Overlapping Generations Model to the Informal Sector

This paper analyzes the effects of an unfunded pension system on economic growth using an extended overlapping generations model to include the informal sector. Emerging countries usually have a more significant informal sector than advanced ones. The findings based on the Thai economy data suggest that an increase in unfunded pension payouts and the noncontributory old-age allowance induces lower output and changes the consumption profiles of the workers. Furthermore, it reduces households’ incentives to save and provide labor, especially among formal workers, which lowers the physical capital stock in the new steady state.

Old Age Allowance and Gender Inequality in Decision Making among Dalit in Pokhara

The main aim of this paper is to explore gender inequality in decision making role among Dalit community getting Old Age Allowance (OAA) in Pokhara. For this purpose, out of 553 Dalit respondents who were getting OAA, 131 respondents have been proportionately distributed in randomly selected four wards (13, 16, 26 and 29) of Pokhara. Information was collected from these respondents using structured questionnaire. A multistage sampling technique was applied during the sample collection. Chi-squared test was applied to find the association of different decision making role of the respondents with gender. The indicators of the decision making role of the respondents taken in this study are ‘The voice is heard more and given more importance’, ‘Advice is sought on important affairs’ and ‘Actively involved in the decision making’. The information of these indicators of decision making role of the respondents was collected before and after getting OAA among friends, in family and in society. It is found that the proportion of male is higher than the female in all the indicators of decision making role of the respondents before and after getting OAA. However, the percentage of the male and female was increased after getting OAA. Further, the decision making indicators like actively involved in the decision making in Society’ before and after getting OAA, actively involved in the decision making among friends after getting OAA, and advice is sought on important affairs in society after getting OAA have significant association with gender.

Should Social Pensions be Universal or Targeted? Older Persons’ Preferences over the Old-Age Allowance System in Thailand

ABSTRACT There are continued debates on whether social pensions should be universal or targeted. This paper investigates this issue from the perspectives of Thai older persons regarding the old-age allowance system. The paper uses data from the 2016 Population Change and Well-being in the Context of Aging Society Project with the final sample of 6,040 individuals aged 60 and older. The study employs probit regression analysis, where the dependent variable is whether the respondent thinks that the old-age allowance should be universal or targeted. Independent variables include individual, household, social, and economic characteristics. The paper finds that those with high or low education and those with high or low economic well-being tend to prefer the targeted system compared to the middle group. Family status, individual values, and social norms also influence the preferences. The two main mechanisms explaining the preferences of older persons are self-interest and altruism. The findings suggest that the old-age allowance system should continue to provide basic income security for all older persons. Separate poverty relief programs can be implemented to support individuals in need.

The effects of an old-age allowance programme on intergenerational interactions in Taiwan: Heterogeneous effects by adult children’s motives for giving

AbstractThis study examines the effects of an old-age allowance programme in Taiwan, the Senior Citizens Welfare Living Allowance (SCWLA), on intergenerational financial transfers, living arrangements and contact, as well as the heterogeneity of its effects by adult children’s five types of motives for giving: altruism, exchange, reciprocity, affection, and sense of responsibility. Using 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006 data from the Panel Study of Family Dynamics, we employed a difference-in-difference individual fixed effect model to compare the outcomes across the treatment (aged 65 and older) and comparison groups (aged 55 to 64) before and after the introduction of SCWLA. Our results indicate that SCWLA crowds in intergenerational contact but does not significantly change financial transfers and co-residence patterns. The increase in intergenerational contact is primarily driven by adult children having lower motives for giving. This suggests that old-age allowances may reduce financial entanglement between adult children and older parents and change the social norm by raising “low motivators’” awareness, respect and concern for elderly. Providing public transfer to the elderly should not be hampered by the fear of distorting family support functions.

Depression and its associated factors among elderly people of old age homes and community of Kathmandu district, Nepal: a comparative study

Background: Depression is a common public health problem among elders worldwide and is associated with high morbidity and disability. This study aims to assess depression and its associated factors among elderly in old-age homes and a community of Kathmandu district.Method: A comparative cross-sectional study recruited 122 elderly from old-age homes and a community of Kathmandu district. Depression was measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale-short scale (GDS-15). Socio-demographic and medical history was collected using semi-structured questionnaire. We utilized bivariate logistic regression to assess the association of depression with each variable. Results: The prevalence of depression among elderly in old-age homes was 74.6% and in community was 41.8%. The study found that elderly residing at old age homes were four (OR=4.087; 95% CI=2.373-7.038) times more likely to have depression than those residing in the community. Age was found to be associated with depression among the respondent of both settings. In old-age homes, not receiving old-age allowance, bad perception of life, bad social relation, having a chronic disease, lack of care from family, stress and weeping as stress coping strategy were associated with depression. In the community, stress, non-involvement in family decision making, feeling of neglect, dysfunctional capability, bad social relation, lesser monthly income had positive relation with depression.Conclusion: Depression is highly prevalent among Nepalese elderly, with higher burden in those living in old-age homes. This emphasizes the need for screening of depression among elderly, to initiate early intervention measures.

Expansion of Thailand’s social pension policy and its implications for family support for older persons

AbstractThailand is among the few developing countries that provide social pension for a significant majority of its older adults. In 2009, the government amended the Old‐Age Allowance (OAA) scheme from a means‐tested to a near‐universal social pension program. Analyzing nationally representative data from the Surveys of Older Persons in Thailand, we found significant changes over the last decade in the patterns of old‐age income sources and filial economic support for parents aged 60 and above. Results show the declining importance of children and the rising significance of OAA as the primary income source. Yet, reliance on OAA was not necessarily associated with a decline in nonmonetary intergenerational support for the parents. Findings reveal that older persons whose main income source was OAA were less likely than others to report income adequacy and positive psychological well‐being, suggesting that the scheme may have little impact in dampening inequality among older Thais.

What to do with the farmland? Coping with ageing in rural Thailand

As Thai farmers get older they need to plan what to do with their farm business and land given younger people tend to out-migrate to urban areas and shift their interests away from farming. Such demographic trends may reduce agricultural productivity and increase food insecurity, both among farmers and in the region. Using data collected through interviews with 368 farmers in the Prachin Buri province of Thailand, this research aims to examine how ageing is affecting farm activities of older farmers (60 years and older) and how they are adapting. We found that, while a small percentage of older farmers intended to continue farming without making any changes over the next five years (~9%), most were concerned about their health and farm work capacity, and were looking to leave farming and implement strategies to reduce both work intensity and time. Most farmers intended to stop farming and transfer farmland to their children (~40%), or continue farming while making some changes (~30%), such as employing additional workers or switching to less labour intense crops. Some intended to stop farming altogether and dispose of farmland outside their family (~21%; e.g. leasing out or selling or returning farmland to owner if leased). As expected, the chosen strategy depended on personal (old-age income security and gender) and farm characteristics (e.g. successor, farm activities, and subsidy). Having a dedicated successor had a substantial impact on transferring land to the children, reflecting the importance of commitment for farming by the next generation, which will be challenging. A pension higher than the widely available old-age allowance could support farmers in maintaining a better living standard after retiring. However, only a fraction of farmers currently had access to a pension. Both short- and long-term policies are, therefore, needed to support elderly farmers, improve their living standards after retirement, and attract young people back to farming. • Interviews conducted with 368 elderly Thai farmers about the impacts of ageing and coping strategies. • Elderly Thai farmers suffer age-related chronic illnesses which affect their work capacity. • 61% of farmers intended to exit from farming and 39% to continue. • 40% of those who exit intended to transfer farmland to their children and 21% to lease it out or sell it otherwise. • Having a successor, produce types, subsidy and old-age income security affected farmers' decisions on future land use.

Social and Economic Implications of Old Age Allowance in Nepal: A Study of Kathmandu District (Ward Number 33)

Our assumption was that the Old Age Allowance (OAA) in Nepal should have helped in lessening at least some of the financial burdens of its recipients while also enriching their social status and honor as senior citizen. Based on this assumption and the limitations of time and money, Ward Number 33 of Kathmandu District was selected as a study site for our research with an objective of exploring and identifying key implications of OAA specifically on the social and economic life of elderlies. The findings of this study are the outcomes of the analysis of data obtained through fifty face to face household surveys and direct observation of the first author of this study over five months of fieldwork in 2013. The study results revealed moderate implications of OAA with greater insinuations on economic compared to social life. Majority of the respondents deemed for a significant increment in the amount of the OAA for its better outcomes. The value of Nepalese Rupees (Nrs.) 500 (OAA in 2013) was considered very nominal by all participants. Participants also argued that the elderlies should receive decent discounts or concessions at least in all modes of public transportation and in government health facilities. We strongly recommend that the ministries of Nepal such as, Finance, Home and Local Development and their line agencies must undertake timely reviews and rigorous evaluations of the effectiveness of OAA in compliance with the principles of social security system to ensure social security benefits of the senior citizens in the country.
 Int. J. Soc. Sc. Manage. Vol. 7, Issue-4: 248-255

Social Safety Net Programmes and its Impact on Livelihood: A Case Study of Bangladesh

Bangladesh has been implementing social safety net programmes (SSNP) to protect vulnerable groups of people. Old Age Allowance (OAA) and Allowances for the Widows, Deserted & Destitute (AWDD) are two unconditional cash transfer programmes under the SSNP for vulnerable old age people and women, respectively. The impact of these programmes are examined in two upazilas (sub-districts) of the poorest district of Kurigram: Roumari upazila, which is comparatively better off, and Rajibpur upazila, which is the poorest. Natural disasters and remoteness are the reasons for this region’s vulnerability. In-depth interviews were conducted with twenty recipients to understand the implications of the allowance’s’ impact on their livelihoods. The findings reveal that the allowance contributes to necessary food consumption and acts as a coping mechanism during natural shocks. However, asset building and resource diversification are important to ensuring a sustainable livelihood. A small cash transfer is not enough for recipients to save and diversify their income growth. The allowance has minimal or no impact on the mediation of other capital assets like access to natural resources or social capital. Working-age recipients rely heavily on agricultural-based activities, but they do not own the land they farm. SSNP does not offer suitable cultivation practices, such as training that could fortify living capabilities or, sufficient resources to encourage career development. Additionally, a number of the beneficiaries are beyond working age. Aside from various factors like malpractice and usury, cash transfer systems have an adverse impact on OAA / AWDD, which reduces the value of allowances. The allowances from SSNPs provides a minimum support for survival but not enough to generate income and asset building capabilities. Hence, it is hard for beneficiaries to achieve a sustainable livelihood.

First Year of the Mandatory Pension Arrangement in Israel: Compliance with the Arrangement as an Indicator for Its Potential Implications for Labor Supply

Since 2008, Israel is gradually implementing a universal mandatory pension arrangement. The arrangement is found to have had a significant effect: about half of the employees that did not contribute to a pension arrangement in 2007, and continued working in 2008, began to save. In comparison, only one sixth of those who did not save in 2006 began saving in 2007. Nevertheless, a significant part of the target group did not start saving, and this avoidance is found to be negatively correlated with the predicted desirability of pension savings for the employee. Key factors affecting the avoidance are: earnings below the income-tax threshold, a non-working spouse and being employed by a small employer. Most of those who began saving did so at the minimum mandated contribution rates, and the discretionary tendency to contribute above the minimum rate, is positively correlated with estimated pension desirability. This conduct indicates that a significant segment of the target group views mandatory pensions as a burden, and tries to avoid it; a behavior consistent with ex-ante calculations that show that it is indeed not beneficial for them. Further analysis shows that full implementation of the arrangement may result in a significant negative effect on the employment of low-income populations. Additionally, based on the existing legislation, tax revenue loss due to mandatory pensions far exceeds the future savings in means-tested old-age allowances.

Perception of Elderly towards Social Security Allowance in Nepal

With the worldwide increase in life expectancy, insecurities in life are increasing generally to old aged people which have never been known before. Universal Old Age Allowance distributed in cash to the elderly 70 years and above is the main social security system provided by Nepal Government to the Nepalese elderly. The main objective of this article is to explore the perception of the elderly on old age allowance in Nepal. This study has used both quantitative and qualitative data for the study purpose. Data for this purpose was gathered from Kirtipur Municipality of Kathmandu district. Total sample was 47 senior citizens receiving Social Security Allowance. For the qualitative purpose few case studies were also included.
 Mean age of the respondents was 77.21 (±4.73) years. Age ranged from 70 years to 96 years. 55.3% of the participants were female, 65.9% of the participants were illiterate. This study found Old Age Allowance (OAA) is the main source of income of the elderly and this money is used for multiple purposes: buying daily consuming food and clothes (87.2%), health related expenditure (51.1%), with offspring (14.9%) and travelling (6.4%). This study found 61.7 percentage of the elderly expressed that the old age allowance was insufficient. Further, receiving OAA was not easy as they have to wait for a longer period to receive such benefits in the office, irregularities from government to provide such allowance on time. People who were satisfied from this allowance reported it was an honour from government and they can use this money on their own.
 This finding based on sample of small population cannot be generalized to whole population but the issues explored in this study may give some idea how elderly allowance is perceived in Nepal. A detailed in depth study related to OAA is required and government should take some initiative for the better management of OAA with alternative way other than cash which leads to sustainability of the program.

Who supports intergenerational redistribution policy? Evidence from old-age allowance system in Thailand

Abstract Thailand has become an ageing society, and currently there are continuing policy debates regarding the pension system. This paper investigates the determinants of preferences over an intergenerational redistribution policy in Thailand, namely the old-age allowance system. Since 2009 the old-age allowance system has been a non-contributory social pension scheme for all older persons except retired national and local government officials who receive pension monthly and older persons in public residential care facilities. The paper uses nationally representative data collected in 2011 under the project to investigate people’s knowledge of, and attitudes towards, the elderly. Employing logistic regression analysis, the paper looks into the factors correlated with: (1) whether an individual prefers the old-age allowance system to be universal or targeted, and (2) whether an individual is willing to pay more tax so that the elderly can receive more monthly allowance. The paper further divides the individuals into four groups based on the above two types of preferences, and uses multinomial logistic regression analysis to analyze the factors correlated with the likelihood of being in each group. The findings suggest that education, income, expectations regarding one’s own need for the old-age allowance in the future, together with knowledge, understanding, and attitudes towards older persons are key determinants of individuals’ preferences regarding the old-age allowance system.

Comment on “Public Pension Programs in Southeast Asia: An Assessment”

Comment on “Public Pension Programs in <scp>S</scp>outheast <scp>A</scp>sia: An Assessment”

The Impacts of Old Age Allowance on Beneficiaries' Consumption

The Impacts of Old Age Allowance on Beneficiaries' Consumption

English

&nbsp; Evidences of the recognition of the elderly rights at the state level are found in the constitution of Bangladesh. However, the aged people are facing various unexpected sufferings, which are caused by poverty and health related complications. Considering the pitiful financial conditions of aged, the Government of Bangladesh launched a Social Safety Net Program (SSNP) namely Old Age Allowance Program (OAAP) from 1997. The aim of the present study is to assess the impact of OAAP on elderly welfare in the rural areas of Bangladesh. For this, data were collected from 344 (22% of total recipients) beneficiaries using simple random sampling technique from Godagari Upazilla of Rajshahi district, Bangladesh. Face-to-face interview was conducted with a structured questionnaire. Descriptive analyses of data using various statistical tools such as frequency distribution, percentage distribution and chi-square test were made to trace out the impact of OAAP. It is found from the study that OAA helped aged persons to be placed in a better position, earn respect in the society and to their family members as well, though they are not satisfied with the amount of allowance. In other words, the small amount of OAA has limited economic impact on the aged people. But the social impact of this allowance is more significant. The aged people have accepted this program positively. It is high time to think and to take long-term phase by phase sustainable aging policies with the inclusion of this issue in the country&rsquo;s five year planning. &nbsp; Key words:&nbsp;Old age allowance (OAA), social safety net program (SSNP), impact and rural aged.

베이비붐 세대의 노후준비 특성분석

본 연구는 베이비붐세대의 노후준비 특성을 다층구조의 틀로 분석하기 위해 수행하였다. 분석결과 첫째, 베이비붐세대의 공적연금가입율 59%, 개인연금가입률 11.5%, 퇴직연금가입률 1.5%로 노후준비를 제대로 하지 못하고 있었다. 둘째, 교육수준이 낮고, 여성 베이비부머일수록 노후준비를 하지 못하고 있어서 교육수준이 낮은 여성들의 노후빈곤 가능성이 컸다. 셋째, 건강상태가 좋지 않아서 의료비 지출이 염려되는 베이비부머가 노후준비도 제대로 하지 못하고 있어서, 이들이 노후에 질병과 경제적 어려움을 동시에 겪을 가능성이 컸다. 넷째, 경제수준이 낮은 베이비부머일수록 노후준비를 잘하지 못해서 빈곤노인으로 전락할 가능성이 높았다. 따라서 불완전 근로와 조기퇴직으로 어려움을 겪고 있는 베이비붐세대를 위한 노후준비지원 체계 마련이 필요할 것이다. 특히, 교육과 경제수준이 낮은 계층, 여성, 건강상태가 좋지 않은 베이비부머를 위한 공적연금 가입지원제도를 실시하고, 보편적인 노령수당 제도를 도입함으로써 최저생활을 보장하기 위해 노력해야 한다. This study analyzed the preparation characteristics for old age of the baby boomers by the framework of the multi-pillar pension system. Analysis results are as follows. First, multi-pillar pension system's subscription rates of baby boomers was public pension 59%, private pension 11.5% and retirement pension 1.5%. The baby boomers isn't ready for old age life. Second, women and people with the low level of education are less prepared for old age. Third, people in a bad health state are less prepared for old age. Forth, low-income people are less prepared for old age. We must support baby boomers' preparations for old age by establishing income security system for old age. We must establish public pension support policy for the people of the low level of education and economic hierarchy, women, bad health status people, and must introduce universal old-age allowance policy for guaranteeing the minimum income of baby boomers.